Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Switchcraft Announces New, Versatile SC700CT A/V Direct Box
Connects the outputs of a wide range of audio and electronic devices to consoles, preamps, house systems and more
The new SC700CT A/V direct box from Switchcraft is ideal for connecting the outputs of MP3 players, PCs, laptops, CD players and other audio devices to audio consoles, mic preamps, effects processors, house sound systems and other equipment with 3-pin XLR inputs.
The SC700CT converts the outputs of high impedance stereo or mono line level audio devices and musical instruments to low impedance, balanced and isolated mic level signals.
All stereo inputs on the SC700CT are summed to mono and output to a single 3-pin XLR connector.
Features:
-Left and right RCA inputs
-Left and right RCA thruputs
-20 dB Pad
-Pin-1 ground lift
-Recessed I/O panel
-Laser etched product labeling
-Rugged extruded aluminum enclosure
The new SC700CT A/V direct box is built by hand in Chicago, USA.
Switchcraft SC700CT Web Page
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Harrison Debuts Mixbus Mixbus, A Virtual “Analog Console” Integrated Into DAW
Virtual mixing surface based on Harrison's 32-Series and MR-Series console designs, plus Harrison's proprietary digital mixing technology.
Harrison has introduced Mixbus, a virtual “analog console” integrated into a full-featured digital audio workstation (DAW), providing True Analog Mixing for OS X.
True Analog Mixing offers a virtual mixing surface based on Harrison’s 32-Series and MR-Series console designs, plus Harrison’s proprietary digital mixing technology.
Mixbus enables the user to record, edit, and mix a musical performance “in the box” but get a sound reminiscent of the golden age of album recordings, and offers engineers a Harrison music console “in the box”.
With Mixbus’s logical knob-per-function interface, the user works with the fluidity of a traditional analog recording studio while retaining the convenience of a DAW.
Features:
* Straightforward “knob per function” mixer layout based on Harrison’s renowned 32-series and MR-series music consoles.
* Precision DSP algorithms for EQ, Filter, Compression, Analog Tape Saturation, and Summing based on Harrison’s world-renowned large format analog and digital mixing consoles.
* Unlimited stereo or mono input channels (based on available CPU power) featuring High-pass Filter, EQ, Compression, and 4 Mix Bus sends on every channel.
* 4 Stereo Mix Buses (can be used for groups or auxes) featuring Tone controls, Compression, Sidechaining, and Analog Tape Saturation.
* Stereo Master Bus that features Tone controls, Analog Tape Saturation, K-meter, and Limiting to help you make polished mixes.
* Plugin delay compensation to support effects such as parallel compression.
* Comprehensive “at-a-glance” metering with peak, peak hold, and compressor gain reduction visible on every track and bus.
* Extensive DAW features via the Ardour Digital Audio Workstation.
* Supports AudioUnit plugins and any CoreAudio interface.
Mixbus is available for an introductory price of $79.99.
Click here to view a video overview of the Mixbus
Harrison Website
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Church Sound Profile: Houston Clark On Building An A/V System Business
Reflections on the church technology marketplace from the co-owner of Clark Promedia
Though admittedly not involved in anything arts or performance related while in school, these days Houston Clark finds himself sharing the helm of Clark Promedia with his brother, George, where together they design and build sophisticated audio, video, and lighting performance systems, primarily for the house of worship market.
Clark helped found the company – based in Alpharetta, Georgia – in 1996 while he continued to work in the software industry. He eventually joined the company full-time in 2002. The brothers complemented each other well with Houston concentrating on the business side, (sales, marketing and operations), while George focused on the performance technology aspects.
Houston Clark recalls, “A lot of it really originated out of a passion to work with my brother. We were eight years apart age-wise and really didn’t know each other as adults. I had left for college when he was in sixth grade.
“So it wasn’t until he got in college in Atlanta, that we really spent any amount of time together as adults, and just realized that we really enjoyed one another. We’re very different from a personality perspective. The desire to work together was the starting point. Over time we both developed an incredible passion for the church and helping the church create engaging environments. And obviously media – multimedia is a huge part of creating an engaging environment in today’s church culture.”
While they knew what they wanted to do, it took them a little while to determine a specific area to concentrate on. Clark continues, “The first couple of years, we did literally anything from conference rooms to production events. In fact, we produced a user conference event for the software company I worked for, and worked at whatever else we could in this industry.”
Around 1997 George Clark started to work with sound at Northpoint Community Church, and his brother notes, “We convinced Northpoint to let us do their audio system for a 2,700-seat auditorium, which is just crazy. I mean there’s no way they should have done that.
“But that allowed us to start with a church that was influential, and that really is what solidified the market niche we’re in. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the number of churches that were new and needed to build facilities that embraced and valued performance technologies was just exploding.
“And we just happened to be in that position. We had the incredible opportunity to literally start with one of the most influential churches in the country.”
Looking back, he concedes, “It was crazy. Today if I were competing for a job it would be unheard of for someone to say, ‘Well I’ve never done this before, but I really think I could do a good job.’ You know, I could tear that up from a competitive perspective, given the risks you are taking, it’s just crazy. You’ve got to look back at that and say it’s a total God thing because they were crazy to do it, but George had the confidence that he could do a good job.”
The facility at Northpoint, called the East Auditorium, is operating currently with fundamentally the same system Clark Promedia installed over a decade ago.
Community, Culture & The Church
Clark has strong feelings regarding the topic of the church understanding and responding to the culture of the community it serves, as well as being relevant in its presentation both in method and content.
“What I’ve learned is that you could have phenomenal content and average platform, and by platform I mean the audio, video, and theatrical lighting solution, and you’re just beating people back with a stick,” he says. “Conversely, you can have an incredible platform, but your content just isn’t that relevant. I think that’s the conundrum many churches are finding themselves in.
“Good content is readily available today. You and I could go on the web and listen to the top 10 church leaders in the country right now. Whenever we want to. We can listen to Andy Stanley, Ed Young and Mark Driscoll, just any number of highly influential teachers. And then you’ve got all these churches on a Sunday trying to create relevant content that essentially competes with what you and I can get almost any day of the week. Good quality content was just not as prevalent six or seven years ago as it is today.
“Whether we like it or not, multimedia is ingrained in our culture. One of the challenges we’ve found is it’s very difficult sometimes for churches to break free from the culture that they’ve developed internally because they’ve been around so long.”
“Yes, the technology is incredibly important, because that’s part of the message now, but understanding culture and how the technology can be used in communicating culture has been really where we’ve focused the last several years. That’s the value that a company like ours, that’s been around for years, can provide.
“So for me personally, that’s allowed me to be not so much focused on whether this is the right speaker or the right video projector. We have a team of people that do that very, very well. I get to focus on helping churches understand what would be meaningful for them to do in order to help them communicate to the culture that they’re trying to reach.
“I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that it’s the content that being delivered that is critical, that’s making the difference.”
Doing Business In The Current Economy
The current economic challenges have manifested in many ways for different companies, but Clark Promedia is faring well through the turbulence, and Clark has a realistic attitude and expectations.
“For us, business has been consistent, we haven’t seen phenomenal growth like we’ve had in the last six or seven years,” he says. “But the caliber of opportunity seems to be still there, still solid. And we’ve just got such a long history with so many churches now I would say we’ve been able to have some balance because churches are still growing and they still need our support.”
On The Home Front
While not necessarily technically inclined at home, Clark admits to being what he calls ‘a born again gamer.’
“I have children that are 16 through 22 (the older ones are boys) and we’re Xbox junkies,” he explains. “It’s been fun because it’s allowed me to be engaged with my kids in something that they value, which is important to them. I have a nice media room – thank you George – I’ve got the Xbox, I have a 72-inch Mitsubishi single chip DLP rear screen projection system. I better not tell you what loudspeakers I have though, I might make somebody mad because I didn’t use their loudspeakers, but they’re professional.
“I’ve got a Kindle. That and the iPhone are the two best technical innovations for me personally that I’ve seen in the last six years. They’re incredible. Everybody laughs about my iPhone, but it’s a valuable tool.” Other than the iPhone, when queried as to whether he’s a Mac or a PC, the response is succinct: “I’m a Mac, no question.”
Involved more with athletic endeavors in school than the arts, Clark also used to participate in triathlons, however, back surgery about 10 years ago has limited his athletic pursuits these days primarily to swimming. Married for almost 23 years, he also enjoys traveling with his wife, reading (juggling three or four books at any given time), and is a huge history fan.
“Growing up I didn’t listen to the radio; I didn’t really have an appreciation for any of the performing arts,” he concludes. I’m technical by my education and background; I was a systems analyst and software engineer and then moved into more of the software marketing and business development side. So I appreciate and understand technical things but the artistic side was something I never thought about.
“George has been an incredible teacher in exposing me to this environment, and the things that are valuable in this environment. It’s funny to look back on. I would have never in a million years have thought about this as a career path, but when you look back, you see how your background is helpful in what you’re doing.”
Mark Johnson has been involved with audio and video in one way or another for over 35 years, including production, manufacturing and covering the industries for various publications.
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Wharfedale Introduces EVP-NEO Line Of Loudspeakers
Seven models are available in the new line, including two floor monitors, three full-range loudspeakers and two subwoofers
Wharfedale Pro is now shipping the next generation of the company’s EVP line of loudspeakers, the EVP-NEO series, which are distributed in the U.S. by American Music & Sound of Agoura Hills, California.
Lighter in weight with improved materials and construction, the EVP-NEO series builds on the sound quality of the EXP-X.
Seven models are available in the range: EVP-12M NEO and EVP-15M NEO are low profile stage monitors, with EVP-12NEO, EVP-15NEO and EVP-215NEO completing the full range lineup. EVP-18SUB and EVP-15SUB subwoofers provide low end reinforcement to the range.
Cabinets are now more compact and use heavily braced MDF panels for a perfect balance of rigidity and weight reduction, and handles are made of aluminium, much stronger and more durable than the previous generation.
A formed powder coated grille protects the transducers and provides better resistance to dents, also giving the units a unique appearance. All models in the series are available with road tough carpet covered or painted enclosures.
A new ultra flat HF unit on a 70-degree x 70-degree circular waveguide improves high frequency response, while the woofers in the full range models now use neodymium magnets for greater power and efficiency. New crossover networks are used throughout the range with transparent thermal HF protection.
A dual angle pole mount allows for flat or 10-degree mounting of the full range speakers, directing more HF at the audience and less at the ceiling, reducing early reflections.
A combination Speakon/Jack parallel input/output is used on all models and is located on a recessed panel. The stage monitors have a third parallel input/output located on the opposite end, allowing for neat and tidy parallel wiring of monitors along the front of a stage.
The EVP-NEO range is shipping now and is priced starting at $249 US MAP.
American Music & Sound (AM&S) Website
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All-Star Game VIP Gala In St. Louis Celebrates With Martin Audio
Stanco Productions of St. Louis provided audio for the Major League Baseball special event, including Martin Audio W8LC line arrays
Held during Major League Baseball’s centerpiece summer event, the MLB All-Star Gala was a private VIP hospitality celebration for close to 4,000 guests that included MLB employees, corporate sponsors, team owners, players and their families.
The gala was held at the Ballpark Village adjacent to the new Busch Stadium with The Switch, a leading St. Louis-based production company, responsible for the event and Stanco Productions, also from St. Louis, contracted to provide audio for the event.
One of the main challenges, according to Sam Wehrmeyer, Stanco Technical Director, was “achieving clean, even coverage with a nice full sound, but not too loud as people needed to be able to maintain conversation levels.”
“Martin Audio W8LCs are the perfect box for that type of situation as they still have a full, robust sound, even at lower volumes,” Wehrmeyer continues. “We only needed eight boxes a side seeing the space wasn’t that deep. Full even coverage was a must to achieve the design so we also incorporated 4 outfills a side to further cover the space.”
The first night gala concert after the Home Run Derby featured local rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry as well as hip-hop artist Nelly, both originally from St. Louis.
The actual audio setup included eight Martin W8LCs a side plus four for outfills. There were also six Martin Audio W8LMs and two W8LMDs in a tent structure behind the stage with local delicacies and hometown exhibits that also celebrated St. Louis.
Martin Audio Display software was used to facilitate the array design. Other equipment included a Yamaha consoles, Crown amplification, Turbosound 21-inch subs, and XTA processing. Besides Wehrmeyer, crew for the event included Edwin “Dee” Blanton, FOH Engineer, and Randy Anderson on monitors.
“The W8LC is really all about superior sound from a small footprint,” Wehrmeyer explained. “To save on space we opted not to use the speaker wings on the large rooftop we provided. So we designed the rig to fly from the inside of the top. For this application the compact format worked really well. On Stanco’s last tour with Nelly we utilized the same boxes. They worked just as flawlessly in stadiums and arenas around the country. We really couldn’t be happier with them.”
Martin Audio Website
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sennheiser USA Now Shipping New HHB CDR-882 DualBurn Professional CD Recorder
The CDR-882 is designed for high-end performance in a range of professional music recording and digital media applications
Sennheiser Electronics Corporation, the U.S. distributor for HHB, is now shipping the new HHB CDR-882 DualBurn professional CD recorder, which is compatible with all types of CD-R media, both low and high-speed up to 52X, including HHB’s CDR80HS 2X-52X disc.
With genuine REC-REC drive configuration, the CDR-882 resolves the inherent limitations of previous generation CD recorders by supporting seamless extended recording time across two or more discs, as well as simultaneous recording of two discs, high-speed duplication and intelligent disc management.
New firmware (v2.6), freely downloadable for existing units and included with new units at no extra cost, provides the HHB CDR-882 with enhanced performance and a wide range of new state-of-the-art functions.
The CDR-882 is designed from the ground up for high-end performance in a range of professional music recording and digital media applications.
Full 24-bit A/D and D/A converters with noise-shaped dither onto CD combine with a high-quality quartz crystal-derived internal clock and audiophile-grade analog circuitry/
Unlike adapted consumer devices, the CDR-882 uses high-quality IDE CD-R drives mounted in a steel 2U rack-mounting chassis to ensure reliable, glitch-free recording, even in unfavorable environments such as live concerts.
Comprehensive professional connectivity includes balanced XLR analogue I/O, unbalanced phono analogue I/O, balanced XLR AES/EBU digital I/O, coaxial and optical S/PDIF digital I/O, external word clock input, RS232 remote control and parallel control interface.
An on-board sample rate converter accepts digital signals from 32-96kHz, and the CDR-882 ships with an infrared remote control.
A full complement of professional features equips the CDR-882 for a wide variety of tasks. Track IDs may be manually created, or auto-generated from the digital input, audio level threshold, or time period, both of which are user-definable.
When recording seamlessly across two or more discs, track IDs are inserted when the next disc starts, and where the user-definable fade out and fade in start and finish.
With an overlap between the two discs, the whole program can either be played back uninterrupted in the CDR-882, or easily reconstructed in a DAW using the track IDs to precisely align the audio from the two or more discs.
With the new firmware, the CDR-882 can now create new tracks on the fly. The burn process is now optimized to handle the wide temperature variations that may occur with disc burning for extended durations.
The write strategies are optimized to ensure the very best performance from the four types of HHB CD media: CDR80 low-speed, CDR80HS high-speed, CDRW80 re-writeable media, and HHB’s highest quality media, CDR74Gold low-speed, which now boasts a BLER (block error rate) figure that is comparable to pressed commercial CDs.
In addition to these optimizations, which are automatic on detection of the media type, the CDR-882 recognizes and optimizes performance for other non-HHB media as well.
The CDR-882 supports CD text, which may now be added after recording but before finalizing, and makes use of CD text to identify multi-disc recordings and their correct order. The finalization process adds the CD text information in the table of contents.
The versatility of the CDR-882 is enhanced further by the inclusion of sync record and disc copy modes, a program mode to enable selective track record/replay, and single/clone modes to select recording to one or both drives.
Commenting on the CDR-882, Dawn Birr, product manager, HHB, says, “With CD-R continuing to play an important role in all kinds of professional applications, HHB has used their experience in CD-R technology to build the ultimate CD recorder, providing users with advanced record and playback facilities, along with uncompromised sonic performance, high-end build-quality, and comprehensive professional connectivity.”
To fully support the new drives, a new main firmware v2.6 is now available on the website (www.hhb.co.uk) under “SOFTWARE”. The new firmware is fully compatible with existing CDR-882 recorders fitted with older drives. New firmware, vD03E, is also available to download for older drives and improves finalization and reduces data loss.
MSRP: $1,149
Sennheiser USA Website
HHB Website
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Current Brooks & Dunn Concert Tour Features Abundance Of AKG Microphones, Wireless
More than 30 AKG products in use for live performances by top country duo
Brooks & Dunn, currently on tour celebrating their 10th studio album titled “Cowboy Town,” and their Monitor Engineer Kurt Springer are utilizing a wide range of AKG microphones and wireless systems. selected a complete AKG wireless system that encompasses over 30 AKG products for the tour.
The dynamic country music duo, with more than 20 number 1 hits and record sales of over 30 million on their resume, have utilized AKG products for several years. The current tour includes a diverse collection of products, including an AKG WMS4500 wireless system, AKG 520 headset microphone, AKG D7 handheld microphone, AKG IVM4 in-ear monitoring system as well as a vintage AKG C12 tube microphone.
Springer notes that the headsets were a natural fit for Brooks & Dunn due to the ergonomic design of the WMS4500 and the outstanding sonic quality of the D7.
“Brooks & Dunn are loyal AKG users and have used vintage C12 microphones for vocal recordings in the past, so when they needed headset mics, the first question was, ‘Does AKG make a headset mic?” commented Springer. “Regarding the selection of the WMS4500, the engineers selected the AKG system for its ergonomic design and durable construction.
“We use the system extensively and the mute switch is very useful for us with guitar changes, sharing a pack for multiple instruments and the ability to mute and un-mute tech mics.
“We still have a 10 year old system of WMS 4000’s for backline that simply won’t quit,” he continued. “The AKG WMS 4500 wireless systems has three aspects that separate it from the rest: legendary sonic quality, bulletproof durability and state-of-the-art transmission quality.”
In addition to Brooks & Dunn, Springer has a sound engineering resume that includes artists such as Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Guns ‘n’ Roses.
AKG Website
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Ricky’s Audio Corporation Utilizes JBL VRX Line Arrays For WWE Events In Puerto Rico
A dbx Professional 4800 Loudspeaker Management System handled array zoning and equalization functions
Ricky’s Audio Corporation of Puerto Rico recently provided sound equipment and services for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestling events in Arecibo and Ponce, Puerto Rico, with the audio system headed by JBL Professional VRX powered line arrays and dbx signal processing for system control.
The Arecibo event took place at the Manuel Petaca Iguina Coliseum, while the Ponce event was held in the Juan Pachin Vicens Auditorium. Both venues have seating capacities of more than 12,000 people.
The sound reinforcement system included a total of 24 JBL VRX932LAP Crown-powered Constant Curvature line array loudspeakers, each equipped with a DCP-2 power module featuring JBL’s Dual Bridged Technology, with each amplifier channel linked to one voice coil of the Differential Drive loudspeaker.
The system was arranged in a 360-degree format, with four arrays of six rigged on each side of the ring. An additional 12 JBL VRX918SP powered portable subwoofers were located under the ring and used to extend the system’s low frequency performance.
A dbx Professional 4800 Loudspeaker Management System was used to handle array zoning and equalization functions. Full system setup was completed in a 2-hour period with a 4-person crew.
“Thanks to the light weight of the VRX loudspeakers, we were able to hang them on the same structural trusses for the lighting system without any complaint from the lighting contractor, and their low power consumption enabled us to use only one power cable consisting of six 20-amp circuits, but using only four of these lines,” said Ricardo Heredia of Ricky’s Audio Corporation. “Spectacular clarity, coherence and even coverage could be noticed everywhere in the venue, and it was possible due to the great quality and performance of the Harman products.”
JBL Professional Website
dbx Professional Website
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Electro-Voice Announces Release Of LAPS V2.2A Modeling & Design Program
New workbook pages, overall and specific product support, modeling enhancements, interface improvements and more
Electro-Voice has announced the release of new LAPS V2.2A, the company’s line array modeling and design program.
LAPS is an essential tool for sound system designers who use EV line array loudspeakers.
Using LAPS, a designer can quickly enter an array design and assess its performance. LAPS can model a full sound system, including main arrays, secondary arrays such as delays and front-fills, and subwoofers.
After the final system design is chosen, LAPS provides full rigging specifications. LAPS includes comprehensive checking of rigging working loads, and will not predict performance of rigs which it considers to be unsafe.
The new version includes a special page for predicting coverage of subwoofer arrays. Proper use of this page will in many cases result in significant bass coverage and quality improvement at little or no additional cost.
LAPS supports all EV line array products and related subwoofer models.
The new version is designated LAPS 2.2A, and it is available for free download at http://www.electrovoice.com/documents/ev/LAPS%202.2A%20Installer.zip
LAPS 2.2A includes the following specific changes:
New Workbook Pages
· Arrays Bass page, for predicting horizontal coverage of subwoofer arrays.
· Air Loss page, for predicting sound attenuation in air over large distances.
· Cable Loss page, for modeling the resistive and capacitive effects of loudspeaker cable.
· Supported Products page, which lists all products supported by LAPS 2.2A.
New Product Support
XLC Family
· XLC-907DVX Full-range loudspeaker, 90-degree horizontal coverage.
· CBEAM (new beam) in reversed orientation.
· XLCbeamF (old XLC tilt angle extender) extending to the front.
· XLCbeamR (old XLC tilt angle extender) extending to the rear.
· dB Sound XLC grid and extender bar.
XLVC Family
· XLD-291 Full-range loudspeaker, 90-degree horizontal coverage.
· XLE-291 Full-range loudspeaker, 90-degree horizontal coverage.
· XCS312 3x12-degree cardioid subwoofer.
· CBEAM (new beam) in reversed orientation.
· AGSE XS-212 to XLE adapter grid.
X-Line Family
· XVLSred Full-range loudspeaker, 90-degree horizontal coverage, high rig load version.
· dB Sound X-line grid and extender bar.
EVA Family
· EVA loudspeaker line (four models and three grids).
Modeling Enhancements
· Maximum main-to-delay distance is increased to 412 ft (125m).
· Coverage prediction curves are now more accurate above 6000 Hz.
· Array equalization predictions now include realistic target frequency response curves.
· The polar response display is now more usable for large array tilt angles.
User Interface Improvements
· In the array specifications, it is now possible insert boxes without re-entering existing ones.
· General appearance has been upgraded.
· Venue and array printouts now deal correctly with hidden data.
· There are now pop-up in-progress message boxes for saving files and generating reports.
· Optional dropdown lists have been implemented for entry of box drive level.
Rigging Enhancements
· Rig report formatting and pagination has been improved.
· Trim height and rig bottom height now appear on rig report.
· Rig report display of diagnostic messages is improved.
Other Enhancements and Fixes
· Pullback points for X-Line arrays are now handled better.
· For uptilted X-Line arrays, LAPS now warns if front chain links will collapse.
· The rig top reference point has been changed to top front corner of topmost element.
Installations & Configuration Improvements
· Changed internal relationships to allow multiple versions of LAPS II to coexist on same machine more easily.
· Windows Vista is officially supported.
Help System Upgrades
· Updated and enhanced help information generally.
LAPS File Load/Save Enhancements
· Made LAPS able to load .EVA files written by EV’s EVADA modeling program.
· Improved Load/Save handling of international date formats. Previously, LAPS sometimes failed to load .laps files from foreign countries.
LAPS is a Microsoft Excel-based application that runs in Windows environments. It requires Excel 2000 or later and Microsoft Windows 2000 or later.
Electro-Voice Website
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Russ Berger To Provide Surround Sound Presentation At Upcoming AES Show In New York
Focus will be monitoring surround in acoustically small spaces
Russ Berger, president of Russ Berger Design Group (RBDG), will be sharing his expertise in small room acoustics as part of the Surround Sound Live Seven symposium taking place on October 8, 2009, at the Manhattan Center in New York, one of several special events to be held during the Audio Engineering Society (AES) 2009 convention.
Surround Sound Live Seven brings together the authorities in surround sound for a candid and informative discussion with today’s audio professionals about issues relating to the capture, broadcast and monitoring of surround.
Berger will be helping to kick off the full-day symposium with his talk entitled “Surround Monitoring Challenges in Acoustically Small Spaces,” where he will highlight the practical criteria and solutions to help overcome the limitations of monitoring surround sound in acoustically small spaces not originally intended for that purpose.
“For live events, finding a critical listening space for use in monitoring and producing surround sound product is nearly impossible,” explains Berger. “Decisions are made not only about source material content and veracity, but also about how best to process and present the multichannel surround event in a manner that translates the aural experience of a live event to a wider audience.
“From our work on various surround spaces for broadcast and music recording, we have found there are methods that optimize an oftentimes less-than-ideal acoustical environment.”
Berger has been involved with the acoustical design development of broadcast and recording studios, specifically the behavior of sound in acoustically small spaces and the properties of acoustically coupled spaces.
Projects include Sony Music Entertainment, ABC-TV, NBC-TV, CBS-TV, more than 80 public radio facilities (including National Public Radio in D.C., WBUR-FM/Car Talk, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio and Southern California Public Radio), NFL Films, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sweetwater, recording studios for Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Steve Miller and Whitney Houston, Paragon Studios, BiCoastal Music, MasterMix, TNN, Lakewood Church and recording/broadcast facilities for RadioShack and JCPenney.
For more information about Surround Sound Live Seven go to www.aes.org.
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Full Compass Systems Hosting Ribbon Cutting For New Headquarters In Early October
The new building marks the company's return to Madison after being based in Middleton, Wisconsin the previous 14 years
Professional audio, AV and lighting retailer Full Compass Systems will be hosting a ceremony on October 1 to commemorate the opening of its brand new 140,000 square foot facility in Madison Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton will preside over the ceremony, and also in attendance will be Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Full Compass has experienced rapid growth during the past 31 years and has outgrown three previous locations.
The new building marks Full Compass Systems’ return to the city of Madison after being based in Middleton, Wisconsin for the previous 14 years.
“We are thrilled to be moving back to Madison,” Full Compass Chairman Susan Lipp stated. “It is a great honor to have the Lt. Governor joining us for this important occasion.”
Full Compass Website
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Friday, September 25, 2009
Avid Introduces Fast Track With Pro Tools Essential To Record On Mac Or PC
The Fast Track interface has been completely redesigned to provide improved usability
Avid has introduced M-Audio Fast Track with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential, a combination of hardware and software that delivers studio-quality features and tools for creating professional-sounding recordings right out of the box.
Building on the success of the M-Audio Fast Track USB, the best-selling recording interface in its category according to MI Sales Trak, the Fast Track with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential is the easiest way to record audio on a PC or Mac.
The Fast Track interface has been completely redesigned to provide improved usability and lend a sleek new look to any desktop.
Simply connect the unit to any computer via its USB 2.0 connection and use the upgraded preamps to capture any audio source in better than CD quality sound.
Users can record guitar and vocals at the same time, without any latency, and capture performances without the distraction of hearing delayed playback through headphone monitors.
Additionally, they can use the onboard 48-volt phantom power to connect professional condenser microphones and add studio quality sound to any project.
Compatible with most popular music recording applications from studio-standard Pro Tools M-Powered and GarageBand, Fast Track provides professional results in a compact, portable package.
Pro Tools M-Powered Essential is a recording application for PC or Mac computers based on the same Pro Tools software platform.
Users can take advantage of the power and stability of Pro Tools at home, recording songs and audio projects on 16 available tracks and polishing their mixes with professional effects like reverb, delay, and more.
Audio recordings can be enhanced with instruments like drums, piano and more by using the included Structure® Essential virtual instrument which offers a comprehensive library of instrument sounds and 3GB of audio loops.
Fast Track with Pro Tools Essentials is available in September 2009 and carries a US MSRP of $149.99
Avid Website
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Sound For New Production Of “The Producers” Headed By DiGiCo SD8 Digital Console
Production Sound Designer Jason Choquette had been noticing more digital desks—in particular DiGiCo D5T—popping up on tours and in theatres such as the one used on the Tony-awarded “Billy Elliot”
The New Bedford (Massachusetts) Festival Theatre recently staged a two-week run of the musical “The Producers” at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, featuring original costumes and sets from the Broadway performance.
Jason Choquette, on vacation from his main gig as touring sound engineer for the “Phantom of the Opera”, designed the production’s sound system with a DiGiCo SD8 at its core following a chance meeting with DiGiCo U.S. Sales Manager Matt Larson.
Choquette met Larson during the Minneapolis ‘Phantom’ run in June, and was telling him about designing the audio system for an upcoming production of “The Producers” at the Massachusetts theatre where he’d gotten his start. “The next thing I knew,” Choquette laughed, “I was going to a demo at a local sound shop to check out the SD8 console! Matt wanted some feedback for a new theatre software revision, but the only way I’d be able to do that was to use it in a real application like a show. I gave him the dates of ‘The Producers’, and within a few weeks, I had a demo console for feedback.”
As was typical in theatre productions, Choquette had previously mixed on analog Cadac J-Type consoles on productions including “Phantom,” as well as “Annie” and “Les Miserables.” But more recently, he’d been noticing more digital desks—in particular DiGiCo D5T—popping up on tours and in theatres such as the one used on the Tony-awarded “Billy Elliot”.
“I actually worked on a D5T once,” he recalled, “but since I was only the mixer, everything was already done for me. I just came in and threw faders. In this situation for “Producers,” I was able to actually dig in and program the console from the beginning. My first impression was that it looked like a typical digital console, but once I started working with it, learning all of its bells and whistles, it worked—and sounded—like an analog console.”
It took Choquette a little over two weeks to select mics and configure the console, which included a total of 68 inputs—32 instrument clip-on mics in the pit for the 13-piece orchestra, and 22 for vocal mics for the cast. Due to the space constraints in the theatre, he put a DiGiCo 48-input rack in the pit, with digital snakes leading back to the console.
“Once I got the full orchestra in for the initial soundcheck, I had the console up and running in 15 minutes,” he said. “We then threw in the cast for a complete run-through and I had the console pretty much dialed in after the second group song—with a couple tweaks here and there to compensate for the actors who put on hats during the course of the show.
:Having a digital desk for this kind of thing was invaluable. I was able to store EQs for those actors in those scenes, so when the lead character puts on a hat, you can have that EQ stored on that channel to compensate. The versatility of being able to program your EQs and dynamics, scene to scene, was amazing.”
He found the built-in effects to be amazing, as well. “I used three onboard ‘channels’ of reverbs, two for vocals and one for the band. The band reverb doesn’t change at all; the vocals do depending on the scene you’re in. You don’t usually find that clean of an effect built-in on a digital desk. The speed of the console with the processor is amazing! There’s like no load time whatsoever.
“The compressor and the gates on the console, which every channel has, are amazing. I didn’t use any of the inserts or the graphic EQs; I felt that the parametric EQs on each channel were enough. And the ability to edit the parameters on the effects, and the depth you can actually go into it, was incredible.”
Even though he was using the console in a relatively basic configuration, Choquette was blown away by all that it had to offer. “The basic power of the console is amazing, and you don’t have to go that far in-depth to do what you needed to do. I was using the console pretty much in its basic configuration, but as each week progressed, I added some more reverbs and such in, and started playing around with that. I also noticed that the processors were very clean. A lot of times on digital consoles you’ll hear a little ‘hiss’ and there is nothing like that on the SD8.”
Taking advantage of the DiGiCo MADI format, and using an RME MADIface interface, he was able to multitrack the show for archival purposes, but also found those recordings useful for fine-tuning his mixes. “With the flip of a button, you have the recording in front of you on the same channels that they were rerecorded on. I was able to fine-tune some of the show at that point, having all those tracks in front of me.”
Looking ahead, Choquette says he would definitely use DiGiCo again on a theatrical performance given the opportunity, although he thinks the SD7 would accommodate a typical, Broadway-type of production. And he very well might get the chance to switch over as he moves into the position of Head Of Audio for Phantom’s touring division.
DiGiCo Website
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Eventide Announces Software Upgrade for TimeFactor and ModFactor
Sonic refinements, enhanced responsiveness, new presets
Eventide has announced that v2.5B software has been posted to www.eventide.com for public beta at no charge to registered users.
New features added to both TimeFactor and ModFactor include:
Plug-and-Play MIDI remote control of Eclipse or other Factor stompboxes
Now, one stompbox can provide master tempo control, preset change, and parameter control for all connected Eventide stompboxes as well as Eclipse.
Enhanced MIDI Clock Functionality
Improved MIDI Clock reception, and adds the ability to generate MIDI Clock for other devices to lock to.
New Factory Presets
TimeFactor and ModFactor now come loaded with 100 factory presets.
Expression Pedal
Expression Pedal programming has been simplified.
Parameter Fine-Tuning
The Encoder can now be used to fine-tune all knob parameters.
Bank Select via Encoder Knob
In Bank Mode, the Encoder can now be used to rapidly scroll through presets .
TimeFactor enhancements include:
Vintage Delay
The Bits, Filter, and Feedback controls have been improved for a more authentic sound.
Tape Echo
The Filter and Feedback controls have been tweaked for a more authentic sound. Plus, by popular demand, a Tape Saturation parameter has been added.
ModFactor enhancements include:
New Classic Phase Ninety Phaser
The classic orange phaser has been added, as well as the ability to choose between 2, 4, 6, and 8 pole filters for a wider variety of phaser sounds.
New Chorus Type
A new classic Chorus algorithm has been added.
Output Level Knob in Rotary
In response to a common plea on our forum, Rotary now has an output level control.
Eventide Website
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Blue Sky Introduces SAT 265 High-Output Nearfield Active Studio Monitor
The SAT 265 has been designed to specifically integrate with Blue Sky’s new SUB 212 subwoofer.
Blue Sky has introduced the SAT 265, a high-output nearfield active studio monitor, offering a two-way, tri-amplified design with dual 6.5-inch high excursion hemispherical woofers and a 1-inch dual ring radiator tweeter with integral waveguide for superior off-axis response.
Power is supplied by a dedicated low distortion 100-watt amplifier for each of the 6.5-inch woofers as well as the tweeter.
The SAT 265 delivers clean and accurate sound with a frequency response of 80 Hz to 30 kHz +/-3.0 dB (200 Hz to 15 kHz +/-1.5 dB) for full compatibility with Blue Sky’s SUB 15 Universal, SUB 212, SUB 12 and BMC (Bass Management Controller).
The rear panel also has controls for “full space” (placement in a room) or “half space” (mounted in a baffle wall) operation, along with HF level trims, as well as controls for variable gain settings.
“The SAT 265 was the logical step in the development of the Blue Sky monitors,” said Blue Sky Vice President Chris Fichera. “The only thing we could do to make the SAT 6.5 (Sky System One) better was to make it play louder, so that’s what we did.”
Making the subwoofer an integral part of the monitoring system design enables the SAT 265 studio monitor to be positioned for optimum imaging.
The SAT 265 has been designed to specifically integrate with Blue Sky’s new SUB 212, a sealed box, push-pull, 400-watt subwoofer.
The push-pull configuration reduces distortion, provides increased output, and features an anechoic frequency response of 25 Hz to 200 Hz, +/-3 dB.
In addition, the SUB 212 also has built-in 2.1 bass management electronics with both a fourth-order 80 Hz Linkwitz-Riley low-pass filter and a second-order 80 Hz high-pass filter that is matched to the response of the SAT 265 (the SUB 212 is also compatible with the SAT 265, SAT 6.5 and SAT 5).
MSRP for the new Blue Sky SAT 265 is $1,500 (USD).
Blue Sky Website
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